Summary: Applying Agile in a digital agency isn't easy, but some agencies have made it work. This session explores how they did it and what it takes to get started making Agile and Scrum work in your agency.

Learning Objects:

101 CD

Focusing on Product Learning: Blending Discovery and Delivery

David Hussman

Session Details

Focusing on Product Learning: Blending Discovery and Delivery

David Hussman

Room: 101 CD

Track: Champions of Agile

Session Type:

Summary:

Over the years, the use of Agile, Scrum, and Lean methods has often devolved into an optimization of delivery, or GSD (“Get Stuff Done”). While in some cases, this helps accelerate learning by shipping, in other cases, worse cases, over solely over optimizing learning from delivery fails to be an exploration of “the next best investment.” Instead, what if we consistently (or iteratively) asked “What is our next best investment?” Working from the premise that all things Agile are now table stakes, but knowing that many teams still need to learn to use the basics, this talk will explore concrete ideas for blending discovery and delivery, making investment choices around how to balance our efforts to promote the most significant learning more often.

Summary: The brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. Using images helps communicate ideas with clarity, alignment, and engagement. Come to the workshop to learn how, even if you don't regularly draw!

Learning Objects:

Advance your facilitation skills

Build a visual library of icons to use in coaching or facilitation

Demonstrate easy ways to up your flip chart skills

Learn how to express ideas and solve problems using visual language

101 F

BDD: Agile Enabler for Data-Focused Teams

Lynn Winterboer

Session Details

BDD: Agile Enabler for Data-Focused Teams

Lynn Winterboer

Room: 101 F

Track: The Scrum Team

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - INTERMEDIATE

Summary: Learn why Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a key Agile practice for Agile data warehouse and business intelligence teams.

Learning Objects:

How does testable acceptance criteria benefit the WHOLE team?

How do the Three Amigos work together to define great acceptance criteria?

Practice writing your own BDD scenarios for data-focused stories!

101 GH

Visual Agile: Sketchnotes for Coaching and Training

David Gardner

Session Details

Visual Agile: Sketchnotes for Coaching and Training

David Gardner

Room: 101 GH

Track: Community of Agile

Session Type:

Summary:

We have found out that people learn better when we as coaches/presenters/trainers/facilitators do things like use pictures and sketch in real time; people better understand the concepts, are more engaged in the discussion, and retain more of the information. In this presentation, we’ll have a conversation about sketchnoting, including real-world examples drawn from Agile team coaching engagements. No need to be “artistic;” come as you are!

Learning Objects:

Get a glimpse into how we humans best learn things

Learn a few simple techniques to add graphics and color

Know where to look to learn more and take next steps

The Six Trumps* and how we see their application to sketchnoting

Using graphical elements that are SUPER simple

Crafting a “mole skin” and an icon dictionary

Tools, tips, and techniques

* From Sharon Bowman -- see "Training From the Back of the Room"

101 IJ

Agile Leadership: The "Power" of "Influence"

Kate Megaw

Session Details

Agile Leadership: The "Power" of "Influence"

Kate Megaw

Room: 101 IJ

Track: Organizational Transformation

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - INTERMEDIATE

Summary: What would your team say about your legacy. Did you lead with a legacy of power and fear, or did you influence your team to do their best and grow?

Learning Objects:

Understand the difference between power- and influence-based leadership

How do you transition from power-based leadership to influence-based leadership?

What are the characteristics of a great Agile leader?

200 AB

Systems Thinking For the Rest of Us

Tobias Fors

Session Details

Systems Thinking For the Rest of Us

Tobias Fors

Room: 200 AB

Track: Organizational Transformation

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - EXPERT

Summary: Systems thinking is the foundation upon which Scrum is built. Adopting the systems thinking mindset might just be the most important thing you can do as a Scrum practitioner.

Learning Objects:

Quickly gain a better understanding of the organizational context you're doing your work in

Learn ways to "see the system" more fully so that you can immediately be more effective in your daily work

200 CD

Leading Scrum: A Leader's Perspective

Robert Galen and Josh Anderson

Session Details

Leading Scrum: A Leader's Perspective

Robert Galen and Josh Anderson

Room: 200 CD

Track: Organizational Transformation

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - INTERMEDIATE

Summary: Bob Galen and Josh Anderson will be taking their "Meta-Cast" podcast on the road to explore leadership perspectives in leading Scrum adoptions and transformations. This will be a panel discussion format, so bring your questions!

Learning Objects:

Creating the space for the team (trust, empowerment, safety)

The role of a Champion in setting vision and protecting the team

Providing balanced leadership

Knowing when to say no

How to build great teams

200 E

Beyond Scrum, Agile, and Scaling

Jason Tanner

Session Details

Beyond Scrum, Agile, and Scaling

Jason Tanner

Room: 200 E

Track: IEEE Software

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - INTERMEDIATE

Summary: Have Scrum and Agile peaked? What new frameworks and methods drive innovative organizations? We'll look at current trends, patterns, and new ideas to explore the possible state of Scrum five years ahead.

Learning Objects:

Evaluate the effectiveness of Scrum, Agile, and scaling

Discuss Scrum as a solution to business problems

Describe current organizational trends, patterns, and new ideas

Explore potential scenarios for the growth, evolution and the future of Scrum, Agile, scaling, and organizational successs

200 F

Asking for a Friend: A Different Approach to Tackling a Problem

Chris Li and Brandon Raines

Session Details

Asking for a Friend: A Different Approach to Tackling a Problem

Chris Li and Brandon Raines

Room: 200 F

Track: Scrum in Government and Regulated Industries

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - INTERMEDIATE

Summary: This session will bring together practitioners to discuss and explore the challenges they are facing in an interactive and collaborative workshop setting.

Learning Objects:

Effectively communicate their challenges to others

Illustrate their challenges for discussion purposes

Describe a desired solution they are seeking

Evaluate contextual challenges of others

Propose solutions to real-world problems

200 GH

Why Are We Stuck? Getting Back to Continuous Improvement

Reese Schmit

Session Details

Why Are We Stuck? Getting Back to Continuous Improvement

Reese Schmit

Room: 200 GH

Track: Playing in the Scrum Sandbox

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) — INTERMEDIATE

Summary: When things are going well, its hard to find motivation to improve. In this session, you will learn the symptoms of a stuck team and discover tools to get them back on the path of relentless improvement.

Learning Objects:

Symptoms of a stuck team

Methods to help determine why they are stuck

Activities to motivate teams and get them unstuck

Dysfunctions and overcorrection patterns

200 IJ

A LEGO-Based Workshop: Using TDD as a Problem Solving Technique

Deepak K. Gupta

Session Details

A LEGO-Based Workshop: Using TDD as a Problem Solving Technique

Deepak K. Gupta

Room: 200 IJ

Track: The Scrum Team

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - INTERMEDIATE

Summary: This workshop intends to demonstrate how to use TDD effectively, and then how we can do some simple add-ons which allows TDD to be used as a problem-solving technique to build quality software.

Learning Objects:

Understanding TDD and how to effectively use the same

The four steps of TDD

Using TDD as a problem-solving technique

Understanding testing patterns

Learning about Mocks, Fakes, Stubs etc.

When NOT to use TDD

Exhibit Hall B

Scrum for Semiconductor and Medical Device Design

Jimi Fosdick

Session Details

Scrum for Semiconductor and Medical Device Design

Jimi Fosdick

Room: Exhibit Hall B

Track: Scrum4HW

Session Type: Workshop (75 Minutes) - EXPERT

Summary: Based on my work with Intel and Siemens Medical Devices, this session is a summary of real-world conclusions and applications of Scrum and other Agile principles to physical device design.

Learning Objects:

Be able to explain how Scrum can be applied to physical device design and development

Identify three differences between an Agile approach to software and an Agile approach to hardware

Demonstrate use of three tools for applying Scrum to hardware

Click on a section in the schedule to the left to see details, available sessions and more.